Africans sow seeds of a green revolution - FT.com
►http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/9806e84a-f655-11e0-86dc-00144feab49a.html
Agra aims to help smallholders use improved seeds and increase productivity, while ensuring there is adequate storage so that bumper crops do not rot. It assists in the establishment of markets for the produce, and seeks to persuade governments to back the initiative.
“Seeds have been the main problem,” Mr Annan explained. “Farmers are using seeds that are 20 years old. They have been locked out of science. Now we are introducing high-yielding, pest-resistant, drought-tolerant varieties. We are also working to liberalise the market. If farmers get a bumper crop and do not have a market for their surplus, they will not repeat the effort the next year.”